Knew you would enjoy the show, Jazzy. James is such a great songwriter and he always has an amazing band. Meeting James must have been a nice finishing touch. Jimmy's playing is always spot on, how was the bass sound in the room?

The pointed finger came after I asked him to pass a message and told him that, like Jimmy, I also play alembic basses. He said "You play alembics too?, they are great basses aren't they". Then he asked me for my name when I asked him to say Hi to Jimmy for me.
I waited till JT had done all the meet and greets as I recall JJ saying they don't go out front. Then I saw JT front of stage talking to people so we walked over.  Nice bloke.

Jimmy J, can you tell JT that his pronunciation of "Birmingham" was spot on for the local accent. Also let. him know that citizens of Birmingham here are referred to as "Brummies".

Jazzyvee,

Dang it, I can't believe I missed you!  And there you are hanging out with the boss.  Love it!  As I've been saying, we're all still supposed to be under strict "no visiting" orders.  Then James goes ahead and breaks all protocol, no mask or anything.  He's such a rascal!  But he really loves to meet his fans, it energizes him and keeps him going.  So I guess at the moment he feels like it's worth the risk...?

I'm sorry I didn't get to shake your hand too but thanks again for coming out to support the team.  And I'm glad you got this pic with James, that's really great. 

Jimmy J

Edit: Yes, JT is a great bloke, and can carry on a conversation about any subject.  He's really smart!  He forgot to tell me he had run into you but I'll pass along your comments.  Thanks again. 

On a massive house-cleaning/clumsy idiot-proofing my little cabin in the woods before another surgery, listening to JT, and just had to stop what I was doing long enough to flounder through 'Carolina In My Mind'. I must have heard it a bazillion times, and never tried it.

That thing sounds deceitfully like a simple little descending/ascending E-scale. Wrong - it's like a trap, designed to make you think the line will resolve to something else!   I finally had to make myself a cheat-chart for all the little minor passing notes and where each line ended up. I'll have to revisit this one in better days.

Jimmy, just following up on the Walter Woods discussion under the Skylark thread.  You were correct, there is a switch that blends the two channels, which allows me to use both speaker cabs with a mono instrument, perfect! 

Those amps are fascinating, there is a lot going on with the two channels, blending, eq, boost/bright switches, variance, and more.  It sounds great with guitar, but when I plugged my bass onto it the tone was clear, smooth, and mellow, really very nice!

Hey Rob,

Thanks for the update, I'm glad that worked.  Yes, Walter is quite a creative character and his amps have been kind of an underground "grail" item for years.  They were the first class-D amps I'd ever heard of and he may have been the first to apply that circuit design to musical amps.  I don't think the frequency response is particularly flat or wide ... but he made the EQ extremely versatile and they're very "fast" - as in transient response - due to the nature of that amp design.  They were, and still are quite popular among upright and fat-bodied jazz guitar players.  Not to mention all that power in a tiny package which is still a great thing!

Carry on,
Jimmy J

Hey Jimmy. 
Just had a notification that JT has had to cancel his Zurich and Frankfurt shows due to an outbreak of Covid.  Just goes to show how virulent this virus is given how much backstage security you've had to go through.  Hope you're all well enough to carry on with the show soon. (we had to can last week's rehearsal with our new drummer due to one of the guitarists testing positive so I 'kinda' know how you're feeling).

Much love to the whole crew.

Graeme

Yeah, such a drag.  Even though things seem much more relaxed now with fewer people wearing masks, less concern about social distancing, etc., trying to move from town to town with a band and crew is still tricky.  One positive test can throw a wrench into the whole operation. 

And so we find ourselves temporarily held up again hoping to be able to play the last few gigs of this tour...  Oh well.

Jimmy J

Hey Jimmy (and fellow members),

I hope everyone is doing well and getting back to making music even with COVID being very much still with us.

I have been doing the occasional gig again after a few years of not doing any at all, and aside from some memory lapses and stiff chops there is one major issue I am having trouble getting past. After standing and holding up the bass for an hour or so, I am getting terrible back pain. I have been playing the same bass for over thirty years, and though it isn't very light it is well balanced...and I've never had this happen before (yes, insert age joke here). For those of you who have run into this, are there any exercises or regimens that you have found helpful to get those muscles back in shape?

All the best,

Ed V

I use one of these.    I still stand to sing and when I feel good, and sit when I'm hurting to give my back a rest.  (I'm dealing with stenosis).   If it's good enough for Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, it's good enough for me.

Bill, tgo


https://www.amazon.com/Stagg-GIST-300-Foldable-Built-Guitar/dp/B00FMK9N38/ref=sr_1_10?crid=6YX65PVR0CKR&keywords=Guitar+Stool+stand&qid=1679926779&s=musical-instruments&sprefix=guitar+stool+stand%2Cmi%2C145&sr=1-10

Hey Ed,

Nice to hear you're doing some playing!  Yeah, there are real benefits to aging ... I just can't remember what they are.  (Lame joke). 

A few months ago I was booked to play a weekend at the Baked Potato and realized that I had only been practicing at home while seated.  So the week before I actually stood up while playing through the music in an effort to build some tolerance to what would be a couple long nights of my particular land-surfing style.  Ha!  I made it through but it took me a couple days to recover.  And I don't even drink!

Back problems are a drag and I don't have any useful advice beyond what Bill just suggested.  I will mention however that these things can also be a reflection of issues other than of the obvious.  Are you enjoying the music?  Is the drummer dragging like crazy?  Are you getting blasted by the guitar amp?  Sometimes these issues manifest themselves as physical pain!

Best to everybody,
Jimmy J

I see it's listed for a weight limit of 300 pounds.  I know alembics can be heavy....but really? 

I certainly would not put any Alembic, regardless of weight, on that stand. I have been looking for a stool since at the age of 70 my back is no longer cooperative on gigs. The one Bill posted looks good but I would not want, or need the stand component. Stagg also makes a model with adjustable height, no built in stand and a back rest... Stagg MT-300BK. I am considering getting one but wish I could try before I buy.

A piano player friend gave me his previous version of this one. Heaviest thing I carry, and it likes to pinch fingers, but great for upright (or for saving electric players' old backs like mine).


https://www.quiklok.com/product/dx-749-musicians-seat-with-backrest/

Quote from: eddievig on March 27, 2023, 07:12:48 AM...  are there any exercises or regimens that you have found helpful to get those muscles back in shape?

A daily exercise routine should help; stretching or, if that's too much, just movement.  The spine benefits from movement in six directions; all are important.  Yoga, tai chi, qi gong.  Start out gently, take your time, focus on the the movement/stretch and what your body is telling you.  If something hurts, back off there and give it time to heal.

When you're on stage, don't stand in one place for a long period of time.  And on stage, at home, throughout the day, pay attention to your body.